


The Meaning of Family

by Juh_Nunes



Series: Trust in Fate [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Families of Choice, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internal Conflict, M/M, Overcoming Prejudices, Pre-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-04 05:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juh_Nunes/pseuds/Juh_Nunes
Summary: If the man he used to think was his father had lied to him about that, what else had he lied about?Or: The Family Dinner scene from the last chapter of Workings of Fate from Jace's pov.





	The Meaning of Family

Jace looked around the living room with a small smile. He had been so angry and confused after learning that his father was not actually his father that he had almost lost his real family, the people who took him in and never looked back on it.

None of them had changed with him after learning the truth, in fact, Jace believed Alec, Izzy and Maryse had been even more caring to him lately. Probably because he had reacted so badly to the news, but still, they were just as much a family to him as they had always been.

The truth was that, even though he loved his father, or rather, the man who raised him, he had been happier living with the Lightwoods than he had ever been growing up with Michael in Idris.

It wasn’t something he admitted lightly. In fact, even now, if asked, he wouldn’t admit it out loud. But there were memories from his childhood that didn’t make much sense to him now, things that he had thought were normal when he lived with Michael, but never quite fit when he came to live at the Institute.

He remembered how novelty it was for him that the Lightwoods didn’t punish their children by breaking their bones when they made mistakes. He had never told anyone about it, he recognized it as his father’s way of making him stronger, the reason he could knock Alec out since they were kids, even though Alec was bigger and older than him. But the memory of his father breaking his fingers whenever he hit the wrong keys on the piano still featured in his nightmares.

Also, Jace felt safer in New York, and cared for, loved even. He wasn’t quite sure he used to feel it back in Idris.

He knew that was mostly because of Alec and Izzy.

When he first came to live at the Institute, angry with the world and afraid of what was going to happen to him, Alec kept him company during his insomniac nights, made him hot chocolate after his nightmares, and always knew when to give him space, even before they were _ parabatai. _ And Izzy was always dedicated to make him see that he was loved, she hugged him even back when he was not used to physical demonstrations of affection, or to any kind of demonstrations of affection, for that matter, she insisted on making him a friend even when he treated her poorly. More than anyone in the world, Alec and Izzy were his family.

But Jace still carried a lot of the beliefs his father had instilled in him back then, now though, he was starting to doubt what he was taught, he was not so sure anymore what to believe or not of the things Michael used to say.

If to love was to destroy, and to be loved was to be destroyed, then why was Alec so much better now that he had someone to love him? Why was Jace so much happier being loved by the Lightwoods? If that fundamental thing he had learned from his father was not right, who was to say what else wasn’t?

Izzy laughed loudly of something Raphael said, snapping Jace out of his thoughts. He heard glass clinking behind him, and turned to find Magnus pouring himself a drink.

“Scotch?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow to Jace.

“Sure,” Jace shrugged, watching as Magnus poured the drink and handed him a glass. “I never thanked you,” he said after taking a swig of the whiskey.

“For what?” Magnus asked, raising his brows in surprise.

“The time I spent here,” Jace said, gesturing to the guest room with his head. “I know you weren’t too pleased.” He snorted.

“This is your brother’s home, you are welcomed to stay here as much as you want,” Magnus said seriously, gesturing for Jace to follow him to the balcony. Then he smirked. “Even if I have to replenish my whiskey stock after you leave. Who would’ve thought you have a liking for the expensive ones?” He quipped, taking a sip of his drink.

Jace chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “You can afford it,” he said with a dismissive hand wave.

Magnus half-nodded, resting his arms on the railing, and Jace stood beside him, looking at the city lights.

It was weird that Alec had been married to Magnus for months, that for all intents and purposes they were family now, that Jace had even spent time with them in their home, but he still didn’t have a friendly relationship with Magnus. He knew it was what Alec wanted. He felt how much Alec enjoyed having Izzy and Magnus being friends, or the way he beamed every time he saw Magnus playing with Max. And Alec was so in love with Magnus, it was obvious even for people who didn’t have a direct link to Alec’s feelings. But Jace had been reluctant to befriend Magnus from the beginning, and he wasn’t even sure why anymore.

Magnus was obviously not a bad person. He cared for the Warlocks and even for other Downworlders, he was kind to Max, a good friend to Izzy, even fairly polite to Maryse and Robert, and more than anything, it was clear that he cared for Alec more than anyone would have expected, considering the way they got together. Jace had seen how distraught he was after Alec’s accident, and if he were to be honest, the only person worse off than Magnus was Jace himself. And still, here he was, avoiding the reality that Magnus was part of his family now.

He looked over his shoulder for a second, to Alec and Catarina chatting on the couch, Max and Madzie laughing and playing together, Izzy, Raphael and Ragnor gossiping in the corner. They all seemed relaxed and comfortable around each other. Maryse and Robert, on the other hand, seemed distant and cold, sitting away from everyone else without talking.

Jace bit his lip as he wondered if they kept their distance because deep down they still held the same beliefs they did in the past. And if that was it, he wondered if maybe he had been keeping his distance for the same reasons. His father’s lesson about how demon blood made people inherently evil ringed in his ears.

_ Not his father, _ he repeated in his mind. _ The man who raised him. _

A man that raised him to fight against Downworlders and to kill them, more so than to kill demons.

He turned back to the street and shook his head, trying to shut his father’s voice, it had been years since Michael died, but the things he taught Jace were still fresh in his mind, influencing every single one of his decisions, every single one of his relationships. Maybe it was time to erase them and take his own conclusions.

Magnus’ words from the day his life upturned replaced his father’s voice inside his head. Magnus had said he was friends with Will Herondale. 

One of his ancestors had been friends with a Warlock, who knows how many years ago. Friends enough for Magnus to remember the birthmark. Probably a good friendship, or Magnus wouldn’t remember it as fondly as he obviously did. One of his ancestors was good to Downworlders, back when there was no Alliance forcing him to be, when it was common for Shadowhunters to think like his father did. Maybe he should learn about this ancestor.

“So you knew one of my ancestors?”

“One?” Magnus snorted. “I knew lots of them.”

“But you were friends with this Will?”

“Yeah,” Magnus smiled, looking up at the stars with slightly sad eyes. “I lived in London back then, he was one of the few Shadowhunters I would say I could stand.” He quirked an eyebrow to Jace, making him chuckle.

They stayed quiet for a few moments, then Jace asked: “Can you tell me about him?” He was weirdly apprehensive, in a way he hardly ever was.

“I could,” Magnus said hesitantly. “But I’m not sure I’m the right person to tell you about your family.”

“You think I should ask Imogen,” Jace sighed, shaking his head slowly. “Alec thinks I should try to get to know her better, but—” He hesitated, not quite sure he knew how to say what was on his mind. “She wants too much,” he stated, looking into Magnus’ eyes, willing him to understand. He felt exposed admitting that to Magnus, it wasn’t much, but it was personal, he could only hope Magnus wouldn’t pressure him into explaining himself, and would just move on with the conversation.

“Hm,” Magnus nodded. “There is someone else that could talk to you about your family without demanding too much of you.”

Jace hid his half-smile of relief with his glass. “Who?”

“Another friend,” Magnus shrugged. “You remember Tessa? She was at the wedding.”

“Yeah,” Jace said, nodding slowly. 

He remembered talking to her and Ragnor about the Shadowhunter Academy and their opinions on reopening it. Ragnor had been hesitant, but Tessa had faith that the Shadowhunters could learn to be better. Jace had liked her, he thought she was reasonable.

“She knows the Herondales more than anyone else I know,” Magnus said, and his tone made Jace narrow his eyes. “She was married to Will Herondale.”

“What?” He asked in confusion. The Herondales were famous, everyone knew about them, they were considered royalty amongst Shadowhunters. No one had ever said anything about them being involved with a Warlock. Truthfully, no one had ever said anything about a Shadowhunter marrying a Warlock before Alec and Magnus, at all. “What do you mean?”

“Tessa is half-Nephilim, and many years ago she used to live amongst your kind, she married Will and they had children together,” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow to Jace.

Jace stared at Magnus with widened eyes for a moment. It didn’t make much sense to him. Warlocks were sterile, everybody knew that, what Magnus was saying was impossible. 

But then again, the last time Magnus told him something that sounded impossible, it turned out to be the truth.

He didn’t think Magnus would lie to him, he had no reason to, so this must be the truth too. And taking it as the truth, Jace would have even more things to reconsider in his life.

“So I’m part Warlock?” Jace smirked to Magnus, trying to make sense of everything. “Guess you can’t throw me out as just another Shadowhunter anymore.”

“I could’ve done that before?” Magnus asked, raising a hand to his chest in mock shock, then he snorted. “You are soul-bonded to my husband, Jace, not exactly easy to throw you out.”

Jace shrugged it off, looking inside the loft at Alec for a second. Alec was happy, having the family getting to know Magnus better made him happy. It was still novelty to Jace to have such light feelings coming from Alec's side of the bond. He had been wary of this marriage at first, but now he recognized how good Magnus was for his _ parabatai_. Who would’ve thought that the answer to Alec’s happiness was a Warlock. Because if nothing else, of that he was sure, Alec was happier with Magnus, there was no denying that.

And now, he found out he was related to a Warlock. How weird their life had become. “Does she know about me?”

“Not yet,” Magnus said. “Alec wanted to know what you think first.”

“I’d like to meet her,” Jace stated evenly. If he was going to judge for himself what was wrong and what was right, he had to know things better, meeting a Warlock who was also a distant ancestor seemed like a good enough first step.

There was a light knock on the glass door, and they turned to see Alec opening it with a questioning look. He locked eyes with Magnus for a few moments, and Jace watched as they communicated without words in a way he’d only seen Alec doing with himself and Izzy before.

Magnus nodded to Jace, kissed Alec’s cheek, and walked inside, leaving the two of them alone.

“What were you talking about?” Alec asked softly, taking Magnus’ place beside him.

Jace shrugged it off, taking a sip of his drink and observing Alec for a moment. There was an easiness to him that wasn’t there before he met Magnus, it was like he had finally found the place he belonged.

“Family dinner is going better than I expected,” Alec said with a half-smile, after a while.

“You say it like we aren't all reasonable adults here. What did you expect? Seraph blades and fangs out?” Jace snorted, looking over his shoulder in time to see Magnus pulling Izzy from the corner and spinning her around before pulling her to the kitchen. “Does Magnus know that Izzy can cause a nuclear disaster trying to boil a pot of water?”

“No?” Alec frowned. “Why?”

“We better go before they explode your apartment,” Jace said, chuckling as he pulled Alec back inside.

They managed to stop Izzy from blowing up the kitchen just in time, Magnus was going to let her flambé the dessert. Izzy stomped out of the kitchen cussing at them, while Magnus snapped his fingers to make the baked alaska catch fire, and Alec and Jace laughed in the corner.

The rest of the night went on without a hitch. Ragnor made everybody laugh with stories about Magnus’ past as a pirate, Raphael made everybody laugh with stories about Magnus’ attempt to be a private eye, and Catarina made everybody laugh with a story about the time a whole town held a festival to celebrate the fact that Magnus had stopped trying to play the charango.

After each story, Magnus huffed and rolled his eyes while Alec hugged him, laughing loudly. Jace was not sure he had ever seen his brother laughing so much in front of their parents before.

Walking back to the Institute some time later, carrying Max on his back and joking with Izzy, he decided he was going to meet Tessa just like he had met Imogen. He was going to make an effort to get to know them, learn about his parents, and the Herondale family.

But that wouldn’t change anything. 

Jace knew that _ this _was his real family. Izzy and Alec would always be his siblings and best friends. Max would always be his little brother. Maryse and Robert had been his parents for longer than Michael ever was.

He wasn’t a Herondale or a Wayland.

Jace was a Lightwood.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this little glimpse inside Jace's mind.
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know!


End file.
